Shooting indoors...Will it blind and deafen you???

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I did have an opportunity to fire both a snub nose 38 and a 1911 45ACP in a near totally dark room (indoor range) about a year ago.

I was wearing hearing protection, so that isn't what my observations are about.

The flash, even in almost total darkness, wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. I tried several different loads in the snubby, including Speer's 135 grain GoldDot +P, which supposedly has less muzzle flash than other 38s. This is true when compared to the 158 grain FBI load, but honestly the difference was pretty insignificant. The 5" 45 had a tad less flash still, but again it really wasn't enough to be concerned with. Had I not known which gun/load combo was being fired, I probably could not have told the difference.

Now, a short barrel 357 or 44 Mag? I dunno, that might be a different story.
 
ND in my bedroom many years ago.

Ruger p89 9mm, was trying to figure out why it wouldn't load a particular type of ammo. Racked slide... and...

BOOOM


... I shot my dresser. I was kind of in shock... hard to explain.... I wasn't panicking, I wasn't hurt, and I didn't know what just happened. I did not hear the round go off, but was deaf for about 25 - 30 mins afterwards. The bedroom was maybe 120q ft, on the small side. Doors closed, windows closed, blast was pretty well contained. Parents came in, but I had my back to the door and was just sitting there is a concussive state so I didn't see, I guess they kept asking me what happened, if I was okay, etc etc, and after asking several times, they finally grabbed me and yelled at me "WHAT HAPPENED?", I still couldn't hear them and I guess I yelled at them "I THINK MY GUN WENT OFF". Of course, there hearing was fine, then they yelled at me to stop yelling.

So... I don't remember muzzle flash, I certainly wasn't blinded. I don't remember the sound, I was deaf for about 25 - 30 mins, no ringing, nothing, dead silent for atleast 20 mins. I didn't feel any recoil. I was in shock, similar to having a concussion, you have the "*** IS GOING ON" thing happening. Had it been a code red situation and had the adrenaline was pumping before the shot, i'm positive I could of kept shooting without problem.

I didn't touch a gun for 3 or 4 months.

No shotgun shell, no .38spl, no .45, no rifle round i've ever shot compared to that 9mm. .357 out of a snubnose with inadequate hearing protection is the only thing i've shot that came close to that.

No more ND's from that day, much safer now because of it by learning from what I did wrong, and my bedroom smelled very good for several days.

I still recommend not wearing ear protection when in a home defense situation, being able to hear the intruder, in my opinion, would be much more beneficial than being afraid of potentially having ringing in your ears for a couple minutes.

I can't stress following the 4 rules to people nowadays.
 
I have shot many a times in indoor range, and once, only once, I shot my 9mm to see how loud, and it was loud to a point that my ears rang for a few hours. I would not recommend doing it repeatedly.

I have taken a night shooting class and fired off 200+ rounds at night with 9mm. It was not blinding. Judicious use of white light is more important than worrying about muzzle flash.
 
I'm sorry to hear that Vern but I truly thank you for your service. I do (believe it or not) know what it feels like to 'be there'.

As for the other post: I don't mind being labelled wrong but I do not take kindly to being called a liar - not that it was you who did that. Sorry that I included your quote in the same post.
 
No one should call you a liar.

However, there is clearly serious opinion in the medical profession that ringing in the ears is a sign of permanant hearing damage.
 
He fired a .357 Mag, I fired a .41 Mag in a basement room. He missed. I don't remember any flash from my gun but I do remember seeing his.

Noise was loud and muzzle blast was intense.

That, and many years of shooting rifles, muzzle loaders without proper protection has left me with tinnitus for over 30 years.

My hearing is still good, but I sleep with the TV on to drown out the high pitched ringing in my ears.
 
My hearing is still good, but I sleep with the TV on to drown out the high pitched ringing in my ears.
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+1.

While my tinnitus is not from noise exposure, I know exactly what you're talking about. I'm still sensitive to noise. Sometimes I'll be shooting without hearing protection (yeah yeah yeah) with a .22 or some other less-than-loud round, and even though my ears are always ringing, the pops and bangs from the guns are a nice break from the constant ringing.

Btw, my tinnitus is from stage IV TMJ.
 
12 guage 00buck 2 3/4 inch

Were you blinded by the flash? no
Were your ears ringing if you did not have ear protection? not as bad as I would have though
Are you deaf now? nope still have good hearing
Could you continue to shoot if you had to? indeed
 
Thanks for that Vern.

However, there is clearly serious opinion in the medical profession that ringing in the ears is a sign of permanant hearing damage.
Click to expand...

To end on a note of humor : if all doctors agreed with each other they'd soon go broke and it's kind of like Libs and Dems both being absolutely right about absulutely everything :)
 
I fired a Winchester Silvertip .45 ACP inside the cab of a pickup truck, windows up. :uhoh::banghead: There was little muzzle flash and the "boom" report, although it certainly startled me, only caused mild hearing loss with no pain for a few minutes.
 
Quote:
I am and can say that ringing of the ears that has been caused by any loud impulse noise does not cause permanent damage to one's hearing.

I am and can say the above is incorrect, false, a lie, untrue and wrong.
__________________
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I didn’t bother to look up the author of the statement so I am sorry if you took offence. The quoted statement said “…any loud impulse noise does not cause permanent damage to one’s hearing.” That is untrue, incorrect, false, wrong and a lie, they all mean the same thing some are just not as PC as others.

My hearing damage is not a result of gunfire but the statement above says “any”.
 
Case 1: My ND. Short version, I dropped my .45, and like an idiot, I caught it. And I learned to let them fall. The flash was not bad, I could still see fine. A little ring, but I could still here normal conversation. No injuries except to a Q logic box and rockford fosgate subwoofer, that I still own as a reminder.

Test 1: Mossberg 590, load was Federal LE 132 or 133. Flash didnt bother me. Dialtone did. Couldnt hear a darn thing for a day or two. Not even my hot rod Fairmont (that would set off alarms when I punched it).

Test 2: RRA AR15. Load was of the TAP FPD variety, unkown weight. It was a 1:9 bbl, so it wasnt heavy. Flash wasnt as bad as I thought it would be with the A2 FH. Instant dialtone, however I could still hear. Not that great, but I could still hear what was around me.

Odd observation: With doubled hearing protection indoors, the short "pop" of the AR bothers me more than the longer "boom" of the shotgun. However, without ears, its the exact opposite.

Disclaimer: AR and shotgun were fired at night in a house that was going to be demolilshed, with the owner's permission, and after notifying LE.

Disclaimer II: I agree that one should always wear eyes and ears while shooting, however that's not likely to be an option in a defensive shoot, and one should know what to expect.

Disclaimer III: These tests were not scientific in the least. They were in the same room, and there was about a week bewteen the tests. My ND was several months before and in a similar sized room, during the day but with blackout curtains.

Discaimer IV: No animal or other people were harmed during these instances. My only injuries were a couple dialtones and a hit to my pride.
 
I've fired a .357 magnum and a 9mm indoors. In both cases the report seemed oddly muffled and did not cause my ears to ring. The flash was visible, but not blinding. I think the wall to wall carpeting, upholstered furniture, and draperies may be the reason for the unexpectedly low noise level.
I also fired a .300 Savage from inside an enclosed sun porch. No worse than firing the same gun in the woods.
 
Many years ago, I fired a .22LR snub nosed revolver out through the open window of a Chevy Suburban (in a safe direction, out in the desert). My Dad and two other people were also in the vehicle. None of us were wearing hearing protection. Mid-afternoon; muzzle flash not evident.

I had ringing in my ears for several minutes, but my hearing was not too far impaired to hear every word that my Dad had to say to me on the topic of whether that had been a good idea or not.
 
I have fired quite a few times in low light without ear protection. My answers to your questions are:

Were you blinded by the flash?

It depends. Yes with a full bore 357 from a 4" barrel or 12 ga from a 14" barrel. No from a 45 acp, 9mm Silvertip or subsonic load, M4, M16, M4, M14, or M60. Slighty to not at all with 38 loads depending (+P more flash).

Were your ears ringing if you did not have ear protection?

Didn't really notice at time of shooting but ears were ringing afterward. More on this in next answer.

Are you deaf now?

I am not deaf but have about 30% hearing loss in left ear and 60% in right ear and tinnitus. This is not all a result of shooting outdoors or indoors in confined spaces without hearing protection. Having been on artillery crews shooting thousands of 105mm, 8", and 175mm rds, my hearing loss is more likely due to this than small arms. There were ear plugs around but at the time if you were the section chief or gunner you had to hear fire direction control over a field phone and couldn't use hearing protection.

Yes it will give you permanent hearing loss but you'd have to shoot a lot to become deaf.

This is not addressing audio exclusion which happens during stress.

Could you continue to shoot if you had to?

Yes and I did. However I think if you were not prepared to deal with the noise and flash it could confuse you for a bit of time.
 
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My parents bought me half of a 1911 (I bought the other half) when I turned 16. I drove out to the gun range (which is covered) and when I got out there I discovered I had forgotten hearing protection. I decided it couldn't be that loud:

I pulled the trigger once and my ears rang for the better part of three days. My head hurt for a few hours afterwards too. I'd hate to think about what it'd do inside a car or a room.
 
There is ample evidence, both anecdotal and supported, to indicate that if you do not take the common-sense steps that most every shooter knows and understands, the long-term effects of shooting firearms without adequate protection will cause moderate to significant hearing loss over time. There's also ample evidence to indicate that the older you get, the worse your hearing will become, regardless of whether you are out at the range every day, banging away with a .308 or a .45 or a 9mm or whatever.

Why anyone would want to play roulette with their ears is beyond me, but I see people at the range all the time who either don't seem to know or don't care, leaving both their ears and eyes uncovered. Our range officers are generally pretty good about nicely telling them to cover up, but I've seen hostile reactions as a reward for these reminders. You can lead a horse's butt to water, I guess, but you can't necessarily make it wear ear or eye protection. As they say these days, go figger.
 
without hearing protection at my local range that has a canopy I get a ringing in my ears from my mosin and mauser. Inside I got ringing from my XD, can I still hear yes, i have damage from ear infections so I am already at reduced capacity so i can't tell if there has been permanent damage. Blinded by the flash when indoors, not even close.
 
I had the displeasure of firing a 357 in my basement last November without hearing protection. I was immediately deafened completely for about 4 hours with some hearing gradually returning in the next few weeks. I now have severe tinnitus and most sounds and conversations are garbled.

I've had 3 office visits with an audiologist and have been told nothing can be done about the tinnitus but a trial with hearing aids tended to clean up normal conversation. I haven't decided if I'm ready to go the hearing aid route yet.

Granted, my hearing was somewhat impaired after 40 years of playing in a rock band, but nothing can compare to the severity of hearing loss I experienced from the blast a 125 gr JHP inside a closed room.

I wish I could take that split second back when I touched that round off. I hope no one else ever experiences severe tinnitus as bad as mine is ... my advice, don't EVER fire a 357 inside!
 
Were you blinded by the flash?
No, not even a little. In fact, in total darkness it lit up the target and I could see it better.

Were your ears ringing if you did not have ear protection?
Yes. But my ears ring all the time. I have tens of thousands of machinegun rounds to thank for that.

Are you deaf now?
Huh? :D

Seriously, No.

Could you continue to shoot if you had to?
Yes. And see, and even held conversations, too.
 
Brian William's original post asked:

I would like only those who have actually fired off a handgun inside to tell us what it was like,

Were you blinded by the flash?
No.

Were your ears ringing if you did not have ear protection?
No ringing, no hearing protection.

Are you deaf now?
No.

Could you continue to shoot if you had to?
etc

Yes, I was able to continue shooting.
Threats stopped.
 
2" M60 indoors
.38 spl 158gr LSWC

I couldn't hear a thing for 10-15 seconds and then everything sounded muffled. Right after the shot, I was yelling and couldn't hear myself. Didn't notice any flash. Definitely suffered permanent hearing loss, mostly in my right ear. Not deaf though.
 
Let me offer you some free advice (worth every penny.) Don't repeat that experiment.

I can't tell you how I abused my ears -- firing a .357 without ear plugs, running over an anti-tank mine, and so on.
 
i had an AD with a 1911 45 a few years back... im not one to keep a chamber loaded, even when carrying... but somehow it happened.
i was getting ready to clean it at my desk, dropped the mag, the leaned back in my chair and raised my arms to up for a stretch and BANG- right next to my head. my hearing was impaired for a few hours (numb) but had no other after affects aside from being absolutely mortified... 230 ball went through my window, through the eve... only God knows where it went from there. had it been a revolver i probably would have singed the side of my face
 
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